Fallen Innocence
by Lady Arcorna
Summary: A/L. When the Orcs of Moria do something even more cruel than death to Legolas, Aragorn needs all his strength to keep him alive.
1. Chapter 1

Fallen Innocence  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. J.R.R. Tolkien does or rather he did. Or he still does. However you see it.  
  
A/N: Well, this is slightly AU. And it's slash, too, so if you don't like that don't read it. **Don't** flame me! I warned you. It also has rape so don't read it if it makes you feel uncomfortable.  
  
Chapter 1 (Angels fall first)  
  
They had left Moria a few hours ago. They had run until their lungs were burning and their feet were no longer able to carry them, but they still hadn't reached Lorien. Aragorn had allowed them to take a short break; the Hobbits were too tired to walk on. Everyone, but Legolas was asleep; the Elf couldn't sleep, anyway, and so he watched over his friends. He looked up at the moon that was ever present. He had thought that Gandalf was like the moon, too, that he couldn't die. But Gandalf had done the impossible. Legolas fought with tears. He was almost three thousand years old, but the loss of a friend still hurt him. Death wasn't something you could get used to. It certainly wasn't.  
  
He walked a bit away to be alone. The others were asleep, but they still disturbed his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder to the main source of disturbance: Aragorn. He knew that all of this was very difficult for the ranger. Aragorn still had to fight with the shadows of the past ... with Isildur and now he also had to lead the group. Legolas sighed and walked over the short grass until he reached a few gentle hills when he suddenly felt a hand on his mouth. That and cold metal on his throat. Strong arms got a hold of him and dealed easily with his protest. He at least managed to turn a bit to see who was carrying him. Orcs. Five or six orcs from Moria! He kicked and tried to scream, but it was useless: the Orc who was holding him had his dirty hand still pressed down on Legolas' mouth and even if he hadn't, they were too far away from his friends. They couldn't hear him. Aragorn couldn't hear him.  
  
"Stop fighting, Elf," the Orc said in the Common Language. "I'm stronger than you and the more you fight the greater your punishment will be."  
  
Legolas didn't doubt the Orc's threat. He just wished he could do anything. An open fight he could deal with, but not with this. He didn't know what the Orcs were planning on nor where they were taking him.  
  
They walked for about fifteen minutes until they reached a small piece of wood. They hadn't gone into the direction where Lorien was, but the opposite so there was no help for Legolas. The Orcs tied him up and against a tree. He expected them to beat him up or to kill him or anything like that, but not what should happen next. The Orc who had carried him used Legolas' own knife to cut his clothes open. That was when the Elf realized what they were about to do. He screamed and screamed and the Orcs laughed.  
  
The pale moon was the only witness to what they did.  
  
After they were finished they laughed at him again; a sound he should never forget.  
  
"Why?", he asked. "Why?"  
  
"You and your friends killed many of our kin. We had to take revenge, Elf. You have to understand that. And you're a pretty one, too ...," the one who had kidnapped him, replied.  
  
With that said he took his bow and shot an arrow right into the Elf's heart. Then they left.  
  
Aragorn woke up, covered in sweat. Nightmares kept haunting him and he felt like they had stayed at that place for too long, anyway. He got up to find that Legolas was gone. He frowned. That was not like him. He wouldn't leave the group behind and without protection like this. He followed Legolas' footprints until he found them crossed by others. Orcs.  
  
He rushed back to the others and woke them as fast as possible.  
  
"What's the matter?", Pippin asked until he realized where they were. He expected that Aragorn wanted them to walk on.  
  
"Where's the Elf?", Gimli wanted to know. He was the first one to discover that Legolas was gone.  
  
"I followed his footprints," Aragorn explained. "He didn't walk away for too far, but ... there were Orcs, too, it seems."  
  
That was enough for the fellowship. They followed the footprints until they reached the woods. When they saw him they almost wished they hadn't found him. Gimli immediately covered Merry's and Pippin's eyes with his hands to protect the young Hobbits from this sight.  
  
Blood trickled over Legolas' thighs and down his legs. His fair face was bruised and covered in blood. His whole body had been used and broken. And there was this arrow in his chest ... Frodo ran a bit away to vomit on the ground with Sam behind him while Gimli led the younger Hobbits away. Even Boromir who had seen many cruel things in war before had not the heart to look at Legolas.  
  
Finally Aragorn walked over to him. He felt for the Elf's pulse, but didn't really expect to find one. He pulled his hand back like he had burnt it.  
  
"He is alive," he whispered.  
  
They continued their journey even more desperate than before. They had to reach Lorien soon or Legolas would die. Aragorn hadn't been able to do much for him.  
  
If only Gandalf was here ... If he had been there this wouldn't have happened. If Legolas dies I will never forgive myself. Not Legolas. Please not him ...  
  
A few hours later they met Haldir and were led to the Lady of the Wood, Galadriel.  
  
"Take the Prince of Mirkwood to his chambers immediately," she ordered one of her servants. "No, I'll take him there," Aragorn contradicted.  
  
"Hurry," Galadriel simply replied. "Or everything will be too late."  
  
The Lady of the Wood stayed with Legolas for several hours. When she came out of his chambers she looked tired and defeated.  
  
"The arrow was close to his heart. He is strong like all Elves are, but not even I can tell what is going to be. If he finds the will to fight death he may live, but I don't think that he wishes to fight," Galadriel said, finally.  
  
"But ..." Aragorn was at a loss for words.  
  
"The Orcs did not only hurt his body with their actions, but also his soul," Galadriel answered the question he had never asked.  
  
"And yes, they did to him what you feared the most."  
  
  
  
Aragorn never left Legolas' side and while he watched him he got to see a different side of the Elf. He was not the emotionless warrior anymore. Something inside him had broken and had changed him. Maybe forever. The ranger couldn't read Legolas' mind, but it was obvious that dark dreams and memories tortured him and hurt him even more. He felt so sorry and so guilty, but there was more. He felt fury for something dear to him had been hurt. 


	2. Chapter 2

Fallen Innocence  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them.  
  
A/N: I'm not very happy with how the second chapter came out myself. It was a bit hurried and I didn't take the time to do what I had originally planned. This one is better, I think.  
  
Chapter 2 (revised)  
  
Some days passed and Aragorn was still not willing to leave Legolas' side. He somehow felt guilty for what had happened. He was the leader after all; Gandalf had told him to take care of them, but obviously he wasn't able to do that. The wound near Legolas' heart slowly closed, but the Elf still wouldn't wake up. A fever shook his body and he was lost in dark dreams where no one could follow.  
  
At the end of the third day in Lórien he woke up. He slowly opened his eyes and closed them at once; the light hurt him after such a long time of darkness, but Aragorn knew that he was awake now and he started talking to him.  
  
"Legolas, you're awake, finally," he said.  
  
Legolas didn't reply; there was nothing to say for him.  
  
"How ... how do you feel?", the ranger tried again.  
  
"How would you feel?"  
  
Aragorn was shocked; Legolas usually wasn't as cold as this. He had hoped that Lórien would also heal his heart, but obviously it didn't.  
  
"Is there anything I can do for you?", Aragorn asked.  
  
"Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to anyone."  
  
The ranger nodded and got up although everything inside him begged him to stay and talk to his friend who he loved more than anything in the world.  
  
As soon as Legolas was alone memories started flooding his mind. There was nothing he could do to hold them back and he was afraid. He didn't want all of this to be true! He wished he had never gone on that journey! It had been no good so far and the pain inside him was too sharp and wild to be tamed.  
  
Why hadn't he been stronger?!  
  
So far he had been able to fight any enemy and now ...? Now he had lost a part of himself to those Orcs forever.  
  
Tears started to fall and his wound was hurting worse than ever; he hardly noticed it. After a while he fell asleep and again his dreams were dark with no light and no hope to guide him.  
  
Aragorn was walking through the Golden Woods, but he did not see their beauty. His thoughts kept returning to Legolas and also how he, Heir to Gondor's throne, had failed.  
  
"It is my fault! All of this is my fault!", he kept telling himself.  
  
"It isn't and there's no use in telling yourself that it is," someone behind him spoke up.  
  
It was Haldir, the Elf who they had met first. "If it isn't my fault whose fault is it then?", Aragorn replied.  
  
"No one's. You're not helping the Prince by thinking that it is anyone's fault. You do not seem to understand what **really** happened. He may look fair and beautiful to the race of Men, but he's also the Prince of Mirkwood and a warrior."  
  
Aragorn nodded; he had known that before. "Yes, but what ...?"  
  
"Would you like to return to your people like this? Would you like to come back with a broken spirit when you used to be the most proud and beautiful of all of them?"  
  
Aragorn swallowed. He had not seen it like that before.  
  
"Be careful with what you think," Haldir replied and walked away.  
  
Aragorn slowly walked back, making sure that nobody saw him. He didn't want to talk to the Hobbits and tell them what had happened. He was sure that Merry and Pippin didn't understand and he did not wish to explain it to them.  
  
He returned to Legolas' chambers, but knocked on the door before he entered.  
  
"Legolas?", he asked.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
The Elf struggled to sit up, but winced in pain as he tried to do so.  
  
"Wait, I'll help you," Aragorn said and rushed to Legolas' side.  
  
He gently put his arms around Legolas' shoulders and helped him to get into a sitting position. The Elf looked at him and Aragorn did not like what he saw in those wide, blue eyes: pain, fear and ... it was not something that was **there**. It was rather something missing. Legolas' pride, his kind heart and the innocence all Elves had to them was gone. 


	3. Chapter 3

Fallen Innocence  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own them.  
  
A/N: Varda, I don't really want to talk about this topic in front of everyone, so if you want to talk to me about this email me at Arcorna@aol.com  
  
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
After a few days Galadriel allowed Legolas to leave his chambers and go out into the woods. He would often go away, but never without a sword, knives and his bow. Aragorn had tried to talk to him for many, many times, but obviously there was no use in trying to do that; their friendship was slowly falling apart. Legolas was now walking on paths where no one could follow. Aragorn wasn't the only one who was worried, though.  
  
"When will he be normal again?", Pippin asked one day when Legolas was on one of his long walks.  
  
"He **is** normal," Aragorn replied.  
  
"He is not! He is so ... strange now." The little Hobbit looked up to the ranger. "What happened?"  
  
Aragorn sighed; he had always known that he would have to answer that question one day, but he had never expected that it would be so soon.  
  
"I ... ask Frodo, please." With that he left. If he could find Legolas he would have the opportunity to talk to the Elf alone for a while. Haldir had told him where the path Legolas had chosen led, before and so he knew where to go to.  
  
After a while he reached the end of the path and saw a little pond. Suddenly someone jumped him and he felt cold metal against his throat; Legolas was standing over him, pressing a dagger down on him.  
  
"LEGOLAS! It's me! Aragorn!" The Elf let go of the knife. He looked shocked.  
  
"Wh-what am I doing? Why ...?" He fell to his knees, looking down on his hands.  
  
"Legolas, are you all right? Legolas?" The Elf still wouldn't answer, but tears formed in his eyes.  
  
"Why did all of this happen?", he asked and looked up to Aragorn, pleading him with his eyes. "Why?"  
  
"I ... I don't know. These things happen for no reason."  
  
Aragorn walked over to Legolas to comfort him, but the young Prince shied away.  
  
"No ... please ... don't." Aragorn lifted up his hands in a gesture of peace.  
  
"I won't hurt you. I promise."  
  
"I'm sorry. All of this has to seem so ... stupid. I'm a man after all. I should take it."  
  
"No! No one can just take it, no matter if you're a man or not!" Aragorn gently put his arm around Legolas and looked into his eyes. "It is **not** stupid and it is **not** your fault."  
  
A single tear ran over Legolas' cheek.  
  
"Maybe it is not, but maybe it is." With that he got up and ran away. 


End file.
